Are you a schmoozer?
If you think fundraising is about schmoozing, please change your attitude quickly or leave the profession. Several times I’ve heard…
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The worst way to start a conversation with a donor
“Did you get the [information, brochure, or letter] I sent?” Has anyone really had great success starting an outreach call…
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Top 10 Reasons Why Major Gifts Fundraisers Fire Their Employers
As a Major Gifts Fundraiser don’t you want to fire your employer at times? Here are my top 10 reasons…
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Thanking vs. Appreciating
Mechanized thank you’s. I’ve been thinking that, perhaps, too many organizations have turned thanking into an automated obligation. They realize…
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Buckle up, fundraisers—hyperinflation and other factors are likely to change everything very soon
I sincerely hope I’m wrong. After all, I’m no economist. But it’s becoming more and more difficult for me to…
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Are you doubling down on a low-dollar fundraising strategy?
A few years ago a client told us she was being asked by her leadership to consider cancelling her MarketSmart…
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The Top 3 Reasons Spray-And-Pray Fundraising Communications Fail
The traditional spray and pray marketing communications tactics just don’t work. Here’s why: 1. They are Irrelevant In this day…
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You Don’t Need Data, You Need Actionable Intelligence
You have plenty of data. That data probably includes donation recency, frequency, and monetary value. You might also track involvement…
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What The Heck Is Progressive Profiling And Why You Need To Do It?
It’s about their timing, not yours. Fundraisers, as well as their organization’s leadership and board members, need to come to…
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The top qualification and prioritization data points you should consider before you reach out to your supporters to build a caseload
We surveyed a few hundred fundraisers to find out what they felt were the most (and least) important data points…
More4-Step Process for “Reimagining Fundraising Operations”
4-Step Process for “Reimagining Fundraising Operations” Jim Langley’s 4-Step Process for “Reimagining Fundraising Operations” Webinar Held October 27, 2021 Join…
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Isn’t it time you leveraged technology so you can be the fundraiser you always wanted to be?
Let technology do what you don’t do well. Everyone knows that technology has been the key for innovation in the…
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Top 10 Reasons Why Gift Officers Won’t Make Outbound Calls to Donors
The reasons why fundraisers won’t make outbound calls to donors are because they are: FEARFUL: They fear rejection. CONFUSED: They…
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Why most of your marketing should appeal to donors in the WHY stage of the consideration continuum
Instinct. When I first started helping nonprofits raise major gifts for less, I instinctively knew that the traditional planned giving…
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Why Response Rates Don’t Matter
It always frustrates me to hear fundraisers or their consultants concern themselves with vanity metrics like response rates for lead…
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Apple will be changing how their products report your email marketing metrics… but does it matter?
Apple will be driving change yet again. Yep! You know Apple. In addition to all the wonderful products they create,…
MoreA powerful new way to deliver value to your future supporters
If you work for a college or university, you already know that many of your donors give because of the experience…
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Why your nonprofit’s donor survey could be causing more harm than good
Thinking about sending out a donor survey? If so, be sure to use the survey responses properly so you ‘speak’…
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How to put marketing automation to work for your nonprofit’s fundraising
Catching up. If you read all my previous posts (starting here) about how you can use marketing automation to raise…
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Top 10 ways marketing automation helps nonprofits raise more money for less
Quick review In my previous post I outlined the 3 types of marketing automation tools fundraising operations really should understand.…
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3 types of marketing automation fundraising operations need to understand (including one you really need to deploy right away)
In this previous post we discussed the fact that lower-level, basic automation works better for raising low-dollar donors. That’s why…
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Do you really need MORE gift officers to raise more money?
Too many nonprofits mistakenly assume that the best way to increase major gifts fundraising is to hire more major gifts…
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Can your nonprofit organization afford to invest in marketing automation?
SPOILER ALERT: You can’t afford not to automate your fundraising operations In my previous post, I promised to examine whether…
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How marketing automation helps nonprofits raise more major gifts, planned gifts and mid-level gifts at lower cost
Quick review In my previous post I outlined the reasons why nonprofit fundraising operations need marketing automation so they raise…
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